Coastal River Charters

High pressure this week has meant hotter more summer like weather. Shrimp are plentiful in the sounds, so plentiful that price per pound is as low can be expected. Some of the best reports of trout being caught (both in the creeks and in the sounds) are on large polywogs. Large polywogs can be a more resistant to trash fish. Simply keeping a large meaty bait in the water a little longer will increase yours odds for a hook up on a quality fish. There’s plenty of bait (pogies) around salt pond and the south end of Warsaw Island. When schools of bait fish aren’t plentiful shark and tarpon fishing will usually be slower. Fishing close to where you find bait is as Martha Stewart would say is a good thing. Mud minnows are a great durable bait requiring little oxygen and care. Nonetheless mud minnows (also known as polywogs) are still susceptible to heat. In general trout, bass and flounder will readily take a mud minnow. Black drum and sheaphead prefer shrimp or small crabs. Having more than one type of bait you give a fisherman more options. Plastics that resemble shrimp and ones that are darker colors such as rootbeer have been working well.

The big event this weekend in Savannah is the Savannah Sportfishing Shootout. This tournament has both a kingfish and redfish component. Local tackle shops and marinas should have the information on how to register or go call the event organizer Ken Thompson at 888-242-7919.

Lots of fishermen have been reporting numerous small trout and bass. The expectation is fall looks promising! The flounder bite has been excellent. As we head into the dog days of summer in general the best fishing will likely be early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Fall is right around the corner so despair about the mid day heat. Drink plenty of water and try to plan your fishing during the cooler parts of the day and fish where a breeze is likely.

Good Fishing! Capt. Jack McGowan

Fishing has been good in the Savannah area! Sea trout are biting on the beach fronts. Lots of small red fish near almost any structure. Most of these fish have already reached 12″ in length some are 13″. We’ve been catching more black drum in local waters usual. Tarpon fishing is probably better off Savannah than further south due to warm local waters and colder temperatures further south. Sharks appear more numerous in deeper water, possibly due to saltier water further off shore. Spanish can be seen on the beach fronts as well as an occasional king. The down side to summer time fishing is there lots of small fish to steal your bait. This is a good time to fish a fish or an artificial. You’ll get plenty of action on shrimp although sometimes its hard to keep your bait in the water long enough for a larger fish to find it.

Tides will building though the 27th often this means the bite will building as well. Sometimes just before a front passes the bite will pick up. In general usually the best fishing will either be during the morning hours or in the afternoon. Fish can bite during the heat of the day but usually this will the slowest fishing. Should be plenty of opportunities during the week for some good fishing!

Good Fishing! Capt. Jack McGowan

We’ve been looking at the same weather pattern for the past several weeks. Namely southwest winds and afternoon thunderstorms. The thunderstorms can dump lots of fresh water in a very little time. Lots of fresh water can make finding pogies more difficult and fishing for tarpon and sharks more problematic. Nonetheless, despite ample amounts of rain there have been good catches of black and red drum, flounder and sea trout. Best action for seatrout has been on or near beach fronts. There have been several reports from the pier at Tybee of plenty of action for black drum seatrout and flounder. Later in the week a weak cold front pushed through, changing the wind direction and triggering a strong bite.

Tides will be decreasing during the week. Conventional wisdom says this is best time for fishing. Not necessarily so. Moving water is critical for good inshore fishing. When you’re fishing water with no or little drift the water is “dead”. Look for moving water. Slower moving water can be ideal for red drum and flounder but stealth is critical. Fishing should good for the coming week. Target red and black, seatrout and flounder. When live bait fish and you don’t detect a strike and you reel in just a head of shrimp you’ve likely been picked clean by a black drum. Try changing the way you hook shrimp. Hook it through the body instead of its head. Black drum have biting well up and down the coast as well as flounder. One fishermen has said the flounder bite has saved his inshore fishing there biting so well. Plastic such as terminators with spinner blades have doing great. Chuck Smith (of Cransman’s) and I caught several nice flounder a new Bass Assassin called the electric buzzer (crazy name). Should be another hot plastic particularly in dirty water.

Good Fishing! Capt. Jack McGowan